The present invention relates to ball cock assemblies, and more particularly concerns a toilet tank ball cock assembly having an adjustable riser. The conventional ball cock assembly for a toilet tank includes an input conduit that flows water from a fitting or supply pipe at the bottom of the tank to a float operated valve mounted atop the conduit above the normal water level. A fill tube extends downwardly toward the bottom of the tank from the valve so that when the valve is open water will flow through the input conduit, through the valve, and thence through the fill tube into the tank. Toilet tanks are manufactured in many different sizes and shapes and in many different heights. The ball cock assembly must have a height commensurate with the height of the tank and therefore replacement ball cock assemblies or replacement risers therefor must either be manufactured in many different lengths to fit many different tanks, or the assembly must be made longitudinally adjustable for use in any one of a number of different tanks. Further, for the manufacture of tanks of a number of different sizes, it is more convenient and economical to have on hand a quantity of identical riser assemblies than to store a number of different riser assemblies, each fitting only one type of tank.
Longitudinally adjustable toilet tank risers, such as that shown in the patent to Holm, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,797,518 have been used but exhibit a number of disadvantages. In particular the prior art adjustable risers are more costly and more difficult to adjust. For example, the riser of U.S. Pat. No. 3,797,518 employs a movable O-ring selectively positioned in any one of a number of grooves so as to form a stop for the lower element of the adjustable riser. A threaded nut forces the lower element against the O-ring after the latter has been placed in the selected groove. The device of this patent employs an identical type of adjustment for the adjustable length fill pipe. Thus, in order to adjust the length of this assembly, the tight fitting O-rings must be pried out of one groove and moved to another groove. Not only is it difficult to achieve such an adjustment, but if the O-ring is not properly seated in the groove or is twisted or otherwise distorted, it may function improperly. Further, the O-rings may be lost or misplaced and proper adjustment cannot be achieved without the O-ring in such an arrangement.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an adjustable ball cock riser that avoids or eliminates above-mentioned problems.